Christmas Eve Festivities
by d-kronk
Summary: Gil and Catherine spend Christmas Eve together. Part of my 2003 Christmas series, follows Hostage Crisis and The Christmas Party. GC story.


Title: Christmas Eve Festivities

Author: Angie

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimers: CSI Crime Scene Investigation does not belong to me, they are the property of CBS, Alliance Atlantis, Jerry Bruckheimer and the wonderful actors who portray them.

Author's Notes: Welcome to December 24 of the Graveshift December Challenge. This is part three of my holiday series, following "Hostage Crisis" and "The Christmas Party." As promised this is much fluffier then the last fic. Many, many thanks to Marianne for the wonderful beta.

Spoilers: Nothing really

Distribution: The GraveshiftCSI Homepage, ... all others please ask.

XOXOXO

Gil looked up as he heard the familiar footsteps stop in the doorway to his office. He smiled as he caw Catherine standing there and motioned her to enter the room. "Can you shut the door behind you?"

Catherine raised her eyes at the unusual request, but complied to his wishes as she entered the room. "What did you need to see me for?" She asked as she took her seat across his desk.

Gil watched her for a minute trying to think of the best way to approach the subject. "I need a favor."

"All right. What is it that you need?"

"Well, actually I don't really need a favor as much as I need some advice…"

"Gil, just say it already." Catherine sighed slightly, annoyed at Gil's stalling tactics.

"I need to do a little shopping today, and I'm not sure what I should get the team for…"

"Wait a minute," Catherine interrupted. "You wait until…" she paused as she checked her watch, "you wait until 9:38 Christmas eve morning to ask for help with your Christmas shopping? Are you crazy, Gil? Don't answer that. Have you ever been shopping the day before Christmas? The stores are going to be packed with frantic shoppers, then you are going to get irritated and grouchy. Not to mention the fact that I was wanting to spend time with Lindsey today, it's her first Christmas since…."

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked."

"No, it's all right. Linds was saying that she wanted to help my sister with some of her holiday baking today. I'll just call Nancy and see if she minds if Lindsey stays with her for a while longer."

"Don't do that. You're right, Lindsey should be with you today. I had plenty of opportunities to go shopping with you and I kept putting it off. I shouldn't be punishing you now." Gil watched as Catherine got up and walked around the desk. She looked back towards the door before moving closer to Gil, her arms going around his neck as she stepped between his spreading legs.

"I have a better idea. Let's call Lindsey and see what she wants to do. I'm sure under normal circumstances she'd choose shopping, but it's the day before Christmas… you know she is going to think we are picking up something for her." She leaned closer bringing her lips to his. "This mistletoe was a wonderful idea." Catherine pulled back and looked under the chair to make sure it was still there. "I love that it's our little secret. Besides kissing over the mistletoe can be our own tradition." She reached for his hand, tugging slightly. "Come on. Let's get going. We can call Linds in the car."

XOXOXO

"Okay, baby…" Catherine smiled into the phone. "We'll come and pick you up after we're done shopping…. What?… All right, we'll wait until this evening. Have fun, sweetie. If you want to come home early call me, I'll have my cell phone on. I love you!" Catherine snapped the phone shut and turned to Gil. "She wants us to pick out some 'cool' gifts for her."

"Why aren't we picking her up when we are finished shopping?"

"I believe the direct quote was 'you have to wrap my presents silly.'" Catherine replied with a hint of laughter in her voice. "At least with her over at Nancy's we'll be able to get some sleep today."

"How have you been sleeping lately?"

"I told you I was sleeping fine."

"I know what you told me and the others. I also know it isn't true. It's been two weeks. I'm sure if Rudolph was behind bars we'd both be sleeping better."

Catherine whipped her head to the left at Gil's revelation of his own sleepless nights. "They are going to have to pull the protection on us soon. Do you think about that? I keep thinking about that all the time. It shouldn't matter. I know I shouldn't let that bastard get to me, but a part of me keeps replaying that night in my head." Catherine turned to look out the car window, taking the time to think before saying anything else. "I can't decide whether or not to move. That son of a bitch has my address! He has your address!" Once again she stopped talking, leaning back in the seat and taking a deep breath to calm herself.

Gil looked over at Catherine and made his decision quickly, turning the car onto a side street and pulling over to the side of the road. Putting the car in park, he reached out for Catherine. "I think about it too. I have to stop myself from sitting outside your door. I have to stop myself from just coming to your door and taking you and Lindsey and just disappearing. Maybe we should reconsider moving."

"What happened to waiting…"

"Until after the wedding? It was a good idea at the time. But now I just want us to be together. I want to be able to protect you and Lindsey, and sitting in my townhouse alone isn't helping. And before you say anything, I know you are perfectly capable of protecting yourself."

"No."

"What?" Gil loosened his grip on Catherine, confusion clouding his face.

"I don't know that anymore, how can you know it? I'm terrified, Gil. Not scared, terrified. I stay up all day and then get to work an hour early so I can take a nap in the break room before anyone gets there. "

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want you to think I was weak," Catherine mumbled under her breath, hoping she wouldn't have to repeat herself.

Gil shook his head in disbelief, "I could never think you are weak. You are the strongest person I know. Telling me this now, how you are feeling, that is taking an unbelievable amount of strength. Admitting you're scared is one of the hardest things for anyone to do."

"So together we are just two strong scared people, right?" Catherine couldn't help the smile that was starting to show on her face. "Once we finish this shopping, do you want to come to my house? I don't want to be alone today."

"I don't want to be alone either."

Catherine leaned forward, her lips crashing onto Gil's. "I love you," she whispered as she pulled back slightly. "I would love to sit in this car and do nothing but kiss you all day, well maybe not just kiss you… anyway. We really need to get this shopping done, I'm tired, and for the first time in a few weeks I'm looking forward to getting some sleep." Regretfully, she pulled farther from Gil and sat back in her seat, waiting for him to start the car again. "Wait a minute. Are you going to 'The Strip'? You really are nuts."

"I just thought it would be the easiest way to get everything done at once, everything is in walking distance." Gil started the car and eased back into traffic, continuing their journey towards the busy Vegas street.

XOXOXO

Gil pulled up to the valet parking station at the Fashion Mall, and put the car in park.

"Gil, you can't possibly want to get everyone's Christmas presents here. Do you have any idea how expensive this mall is?"

"I know, but hopefully that will work to our advantage."

"How?"

"Less people?"

Catherine smiled at Gil's naivety, knowing he was going to be in for a surprise once they got into the shopping center. She turned when she heard the locks click and the door opened. Taking the hand of the doorman, she let him help her out of the car and waited for Gil to come around the car.

Gil tipped the valet and walked to Catherine, smiling as he took her hand to lead her into the mall. "So where do we go first?"

"Do you have any ideas of what you want to get for anyone?" Catherine was silent as she waited for Gil to answer her. She stopped and turned to face him, taking in the slightly embarrassed look on his face. "Well I can narrow down some of the stores we don't want to enter, unless your salary is a whole lot more then mine. Follow me." Catherine tightened her hold on Gil's hand as she started making her way through the crowded mall.

XOXOXO

Ninety minutes later, Gil was pulling an exhausted Catherine to yet another store.

"Gil, stop." Catherine found herself pressed into Gil's chest, when he abruptly followed her command and turned to face her. She instinctively wrapped her free arm around Gil's back and looked up to make eye contact. "I'm tired and I'm hungry and I'm starting to get grouchy. This was supposed to happen to you, not me," Catherine pouted as she buried her head deeper into Gil's chest.

"Let's get to the food court. We can get something light to eat and rest for a bit. I think we are almost done anyway."

"Almost?" Catherine questioned as they began walking again. "There are gifts there for Sara, Nick, Warrick, Greg and Brass. Who else are you… Gil?"

"I have your present, Cath. Yours and Lindsey's."

"Then what else do you need to get?"

"I just need to pick something up."

Catherine sighed, realizing Gil wasn't going to reveal anything else. Her sigh quickly turned to a moan as they came closer to the hectic food court. "I really don't need…"

Gil cut her off before she could continue. "Yes you do. Besides I'm hungry myself. Let's find a table and you can wait while I get the food."

Amazingly, they found a clear table fairly shortly and quickly got settled. "Is a salad all right with you, or do you want something else?"

Catherine thought for a minute as she looked around at her choices. "Maybe we could split a sandwich or a bowl of soup or something. How does that sound?"

"It's fine with me, whatever you want. What do you want?"

"Surprise me. You know what I like, besides I'll just eat your food anyway." Catherine smiled up at him.

Gil returned the smile as he bent down for a kiss. "I'll be right back," he whispered before turning to find something for them to eat.

XOXOXO

Gil walked away from Catherine and quickly became lost in the crowd. Turning his head to make sure that Catherine couldn't see him, he quickly walked out of the food court. He had spent weeks trying to find the perfect gift for Catherine, and he finally found it a few days earlier in one of the many jewelry stores on this mall. While picking up her present, he saw a beautiful heart shaped locket. He had already picked up numerous items for Lindsey, but he had to have this one more present.

Entering the store, he saw the man he had talked to numerous times in the past few days. "Mr. Johnson," he greeted with a smile. "Have you been able to finish the locket?"

"I have. Would you like to look at it before we wrap it for you?"

Gil nodded and watched as the man quickly went to the back room to retrieve his purchase. His eyes wandered to the case housing the engagement rings. He knew exactly where their relationship was heading, and knew he would soon be on the search for the perfect ring for Catherine. He let his eyes roam the store again, until they stopped on another case. He walked closer to the case, looking closer at the rings inside.

Mr. Johnson walked out of the back room and walked over to the where Gil was now standing. "Here's the locket, Mr. Grissom. I hope it's to your liking."

Gil glanced up at the locket Mr. Johnson was holding before him. He reached his hand out, gently grasping the locket and opening it. He had frantically searched for the perfect pictures to have placed inside the locket, and seeing it now, with the pictures in place, he knew his decision was right. "It's beautiful. You did a wonderful job." He glanced down again, looking at the ring that had caught his attention earlier. "That ring, it's a sapphire, right?"

"That's correct. Do you want to look at it?"

Gil nodded his response as he watched the man take the ring out of the case. "This will go perfect with the necklace. Can I get it sized later?" He looked back at Mr. Johnson and smiled when he saw the man affirm that the ring could be sized at a later date. "I'll take the ring too."

Gil quickly paid for his new purchase and placed both items into the inside pocket of the leather jacket, hoping Catherine wouldn't notice the two boxes before he had a chance to hide them from her.

He made his way out of the store and entered the food court again, relieved to see it was still packed with people. Glancing around, he found the shortest line and headed that direction. Luckily, he was able to get through the short line fast and soon rejoined Catherine at their table.

"I'm back." Gil said as he set the tray down in front of Catherine and walked around her to take his seat at the table. "I was thinking, as I was waiting in line, I guess I've got enough presents for everyone. I was just wanting to pick up something else for Lindsey, but…"

"Gil," she interrupted, "I'm sure you have gone completely overboard buying presents for Lindsey. She doesn't need anything. All she wants is for the three of us to spend the day together."

"I know that's what she says, Cath. But all kids want presents for Christmas and this is our first Christmas together as a family. I just want everything to be perfect."

"It will be perfect, Gil. You'll be there." Catherine smiled and reached for his hand. Her smile grew larger as she looked at their joined hands.

"What are you smiling at?"

"Have you noticed how much we hold hands?"

"It's nice, isn't it?" Gil's smile grew, matching Catherine's in size. "I have to admit, I really enjoy not worrying about being caught by any of our co-workers. It's a much more relaxing way to spend our time together." He picked up his fork with his free hand, watching as Catherine did the same, and the two began their meal together.

XOXOXO

Catherine sat back in the chair, after she had thrown away the remains of their meal and looked at Gil. "Are you as tired as I am?"

He nodded his head and quickly stood, offering a hand to Catherine before gathering the packages in his hands.

"Gil, I can carry some of those." Catherine reached for the packages, trying to take a few out of Gil's hands.

"That's all right. I'm the one that put off my shopping until now and then dragged you to the mall with me today, the least I can do is carry the packages."

Catherine knew when to pick her fights with Gil, and being a smart woman knew this was not worth fighting. She fell into step beside him and linked her hand to his elbow, letting him lead the way. They quickly made their way through the mall and back to the valet. A short wait later and Gil was putting the gifts into the back of the car. He peeked around the front to make sure Catherine couldn't see him and removed the two packages from inside his jacket pocket. He slid them to the bottom of one of the bags and shut the lid on the trunk.

"Do you want to go back to your place or mine?" Gil asked as he slid into the car.

"Do you mind going back to mine?"

"Not at all. I wouldn't have asked otherwise. Do I have any clothes in my drawer, or do we need to run past my place real quick?"

"You're fine, I did some of our laundry yesterday." Catherine stifled a yawn. She looked at the clock and then back to Gil. "If we go home and go directly to bed we might be able to get four hours of sleep before Lindsey gets home, unless she calls wanting to come home sooner."

"Home. I love the sound of that."

They were silent the rest of the trip to Catherine's house, both lost in their thoughts. Gil pulled into the driveway and hopped out of the car, making his way over to the passenger side of the vehicle. He opened the door and held his hand out for Catherine to take. "Go on inside. I'll get the gifts and meet you inside in a minute." He placed a chaste kiss on her cheek and watched as she made her way indoors. He followed soon after, his bundles of packages in his hands.

Once inside the house he set the bags down near the tree and went back to shut the door. "I'll be up in a minute, Cath. Just gonna get these gifts sorted out first."

"You can leave them in the bags, Gil. We'll be taking them into the lab in a few hours anyway." Catherine called from the upstairs bedroom.

Gil smiled at Catherine's response and quickly dug out the small package for Lindsey, replacing the small gift with one he had previously placed under the tree. With the smile still on his face, he hurriedly went up the stairs, anxious to join Catherine. He walked into the empty bedroom and saw a pair of shorts laid out on the bed. Slipping into the shorts, he peeled off his shirt and sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for Catherine to come out of the bathroom. After waiting for a few more minutes, he could feel his eyelids start to droop. He walked across the room and softly knocked on the door. "Is it all right if I join you in there? I need to brush my teeth and I'm about to fall over out here."

The door swung open and Gil came face to face with Catherine, who was brushing her teeth at the moment. He walked into to bathroom and the two quickly fell into their established routine. They soon linked hands and returned to the bedroom, settling into position quickly and turning out the lights.

"You know, it isn't often we just sleep together."

"Don't worry, Gil. We aren't going to fall into that routine for a long time. If it wasn't for the fact that I…"

"I know. I'm as tired as you. It's not often that we get an afternoon together, without having to worry about Lindsey coming home unexpectedly, but I think we both need our sleep right now. Besides we'll have the next two days together…" Gil trailed off as he listened to the even breathing coming from next to him. He pulled Catherine closer to him and closed his eyes, letting sleep overtake him.

XOXOXO

The sound of the bedroom door opening cause the two to jump straight up from sleep. They looked to the door to see Lindsey standing in the doorway.

"Lindsey! You scared me." Catherine panted, grasping at her chest as she tried to calm herself down.

"Sorry, Mom. I just wanted to let you know that it's six, don't we need to be leaving pretty soon?"

"Six? I thought we set the alarm for five."

Gil and Catherine turned to look at the alarm and then back to Lindsey.

"I just thought you needed some more sleep. I snuck in here when I got home and turned it off. I know you haven't been sleeping good, Mommy. And it looked like you were comfortable." Lindsey looked down to the ground, rethinking her actions from earlier this afternoon. "I'm sorry."

"It's all right, Lindsey." Gil patted the bed and waited for Lindsey to join them. "Next time, just let us know your home first, okay."

Lindsey smiled as she nodded her head in agreement, glad that she wasn't in trouble.

"Now scoot on out of here so we can get ready. We'll be downstairs as soon as we can, all right sweetie?" Catherine quickly kissed her daughter before softly pushing her out of the bed, smiling as she left the room. "Five hours sleep. I haven't had that in a long time. Thanks for staying here today."

"It was definitely my pleasure." Gil rolled over, pulling Catherine closer to him. "I love waking up with you, even if we are awakened from a dead sleep and almost have a heart attack in the process." He bent down, hovering over her for a few minutes before leaning in closer. Their lips met in a searing kiss as their hands began roaming each others' bodies.

"You two better not be making out in there!" Lindsey yelled through the door. "We have to leave soon, and I don't hear you moving yet."

"Lindsey! Get away from the door and get downstairs, we'll be there soon." Catherine could feel her face turning red as the implications of getting caught by her daughter ran through her mind. "That girl is too smart for her own good."

"We better get out of bed before she decides to come back in." Gil got out of bed and walked to the door, locking it to ensure Lindsey wouldn't walk in on them again. "Want to shower to…" Gil stopped at the look on Catherine's face, "I guess we would get a little distracted wouldn't we. Why don't you go first, and I'll start the coffee."

Catherine nodded in approval and slipped out of the bed, watching as Gil grabbed his robe and pulled it on before slipping out of the room. She shut the door to the restroom behind her and quickly jumped in the shower. The extra sleep was a blessing, but now she was going to have to rush to get ready for the evening. Turning the shower off, she wrapped the towel tightly around her as she stepped out of the shower. She smiled when she saw Gil's towel on the bar next to the open space where hers had just been. She looked around the room more, seeing Gil's soaps and shampoo in their proper places.

"Gil, are you out there?" Catherine called through the closed door. She turned as she heard the door open, and reached for Gil's hand. "Look."

Gil swept his eyes around the room, trying to figure out what Catherine was wanting him to see. "What am I looking at?"

She pointed at the towel rack before moving her hand to the shower. "Your towel, next to mine… your shampoo next to mine. I love how it looks, our things intermingled together… If I get like this just looking around the bathroom, can you imagine how bad I'll be later, when we have our entire home filled…"

Gil pulled Catherine to him, silencing her with his embrace. "We are going to be in awe of how happy we are together, I know it. And as much as I want to just stand here with you in my arms, Lindsey is going to be pounding the door down soon if we don't get ready soon. I'll be out in five minutes, so don't rush to get dressed."

Catherine playfully slugged Gil before slipping out of his arms and out of the room, leaving Gil to his shower.

XOXOXO

Gil opened the door and stopped at the site in front of him. Catherine was standing in her bra and panties pulling various outfits from the closet, her hair loosely wrapped around rollers on top of her head.

"You, my dear, are a vision. I can't tell you how many times I've dreamed this image."

Catherine turned to face him, her face turning red with the compliments. "You've seen me like this before, Gil. Usually with my hair looking halfway decent."

"Just because I've seen you dressed like this before doesn't mean I don't dream about you. And even with your hair all up in rollers, you still look gorgeous." Gil walked across the room, the towel wrapped around his waist, and began searching his drawer to see what clothing he had left there. Pulling out a pair of black pants and a light gray sweater, he turned back to Catherine. "Have you decided what you want to wear?"

"A dress I think, or maybe a skirt. I don't get to wear them often, and sometimes I like to just dress up when I don't really have a reason." Catherine shrugged and looked at the clothing Gil had in his hand then reached into the closet once again, this time pulling out a black skirt. After putting the skirt on, she went back into the restroom, quickly putting on her make-up. Taking the rollers out of her hair, she walked back into the room watching Gil watch her. She smirked at him and continued her journey back to the closet. "Do you have any opinions on what I should wear with this?"

"I'm quite fond of the look you have now, but I really don't want anyone else to see you this way. You know I'm not good at picking out clothes and you know I'm going to love whatever you choose…"

Catherine reappeared from the confines of the closet with a low cut emerald green top. Donning the top, she spun around for Gil to admire. "So, does this pass inspection?"

Gil stared as she spun before him, the curls in her hair bouncing when she stopped. "You look exquisite. I can't wait to show you off to everyone."

"Gil!"

"What? I'm getting used not hiding our relationship, and now I want to show you off to the world."

"In that case come here," she beckoned Gil closer to her, wrapping her arms around him when he was within her reach. Before he had a chance to react, Catherine grabbed the hem on his shirt and tucked it into his pants, working her way from the back to the front. "There, that's better."

"What are you doing?"

"You have a great ass. If you are going to show me off, I want to return the favor. Now, don't touch that shirt… I hate when you cover that wonderful asset of yours." She reached up on her tip toes and kissed Gil's cheek, then turned and led him out of the room.

XOXOXO

The two headed down the stairs together and Lindsey jumped up from the couch as she saw them. "Are you ready now? Can we go?" She could hardly contain her excitement, as was evident in her voice.

"Go get your jacket." Catherine told her.

"Finally!" Lindsey practically ran to the closet, barely missing a collision with the two adults as she darted around them towards the closet.

Catherine shook her head at her daughter's antics and followed her to the closet to retrieve her own coat.

Gil went into the living room to gather the bags containing the presents he and Catherine had found earlier that day, including the ones he had placed in the bags for Catherine and Lindsey. He joined the two of them out the door, soon leaving to enjoy part of their evening off with their co-workers.

XOXOXO

The three walked into the lab, Gil with his arm around Catherine and Lindsey walking in front of them. They directed Lindsey towards the break room, even though she could probably find her way there without guidance. Entering the room, Lindsey ran over to the small Christmas tree that had been set up on a table in the corner of the room.

"Lindsey, you know those presents aren't for you. Come back over here and…"

"Yes there is, Mom!" Lindsey turned back to Gil and Catherine holding a present in her hands. "This one says it's from Santa. I thought the others were going to be here tonight. Where are they?"

Gil left Catherine's side and went across the room to Lindsey, taking the gift out of her hand and putting it back under the tree. "I'm not sure where they are, Sweetie, but they'll be here. They were the ones that wanted to exchange gifts tonight, instead of at the party a few weeks ago. But once we are done here we can go back home and start on our own Christmas festivities. How does pizza, movies and hot chocolate sound?"

"What movie?" Lindsey asked warily, still uneasy about the last movie night they'd had.

"It's a surprise. But your Mom picked it out this time, she assured me it would be one you liked." Gil turned and quickly placed the gifts he had bought under the tree before going to the couch to take a seat next to Catherine. When Lindsey walked over in front of them, he quickly lifted Lindsey and put her on his lap.

XOXOXO

Brass opened the door to the room, and stopped at the site before him, only moving when he was bumped by the others, who had been surprised by his sudden stop. The entire group brightened at the site of the family before them. Gil and Catherine were holding hands and smiling as they listened to Lindsey telling them an animated tale about something that had happened to her earlier in the day.

Sensing a draft in the room, the adults turned to look towards the doorway. "Hi everyone, come on in." Catherine said, waving them in with her free hand.

"We can't stay for long, it's movie night and someone needs to get to bed soon if they want Santa to come tonight."

"Gil! You know I'm too old to believe in Santa."

"What? I guess he'll just have to take back all those gifts he was going to give you and give them to a another little girl."

Lindsey giggled at Gil's teasing, and the entire room lit up, all enjoying the scene between the two.

"Lindsey, why don't you pass out the gifts?" Catherine hated interrupting the fun her two loved ones were having, especially since they didn't seem to get enough quality time together. But she also knew the faster they finished here, the faster they could return to their other plans.

Lindsey scrambled off Gil's lap and quickly passed the presents around the room. Once she was finished she returned to the gifts that she had set in a pile for herself. Looking at the gifts, she turned to Gil and Catherine, "do I have to wait until tomorrow?"

Catherine hesitated. She had always made Lindsey wait until Christmas to open her presents, but her daughter had never been to the staff gift exchange before. Eddie had always watched her those nights in the past. As much as she wanted to keep the tradition of opening her presents at home on Christmas day, she could feel herself wanting to give in to Lindsey's pleading looks.

Gil leaned closer to Catherine, keeping his voice low. "Go ahead and let her open them. It's only a few gifts and I'm sure the team would like to see the look on her face when she sees what she gets."

Catherine couldn't resist the both of them, she nodded her head in approval and smiled as Lindsey squealed in delight.

Everyone watched as she opened her presents, her happiness evident to everyone in the room. After thanking everyone, Catherine helped move the presents to the back of the room so Lindsey could occupy herself while the adults opened their own presents.

Catherine watched as everyone began opening her gifts. She had always loved watching as other people opened their presents, the joy in seeing what surprises lay hidden from them. She slowly opened hers as she watched the others, more focused on those around her. Absentmindedly, she reached out for the last gift and looked at the tag on the small box. Seeing that it too was from Santa, she grinned as she turned to Gil. "Did you do this?" She asked as she pointed out the tag on the package.

"Looks to me like it's from Santa."

Catherine smirked and turned her focus back to the gift in her hands. She tore the paper off and her jaw dropped in shock as she read the jewelers name emblazoned across the box. "Gil, what did you do?" Her question hung in the air as she slowly lifted the lid. An involuntary gasp left her mouth as she saw the content.

Gil watched as Catherine sat frozen in shock. "Do you like it?"

His words were barely audible, but Catherine's earlier gasp had caught everyone's attention and they had all turned to watch the scene play out before them.

"Of course I like it, Gil. It's gorgeous, but it's too much."

"Nothing is too much for you. Can I put it on you? I have been wanting to see this on you for weeks now." Gil took the box from her and lifted out the heart shaped Sapphire pendant. Unhooking the clasp, he moved his arms around her neck, fumbling slightly before getting the clasp hooked again. He pulled back and looked at the necklace resting against her fair skin, her eyes sparkling with unshed tears. "You're stunning."

Catherine didn't reply to his words. Leaning forward she pressed her lips to his, hoping her actions could express what words were failing to do for her at the moment.

Warrick cleared his throat and stood up. "We better get going, some of us have to work tonight."

The other's all quickly agreed, taking their hints from Warrick quickly saying their thanks and goodbyes before leaving the room.

"Let's get home. I want to spend the rest of the evening with the two of you, without having to worry about interruptions." Gil stood, holding his hand out for Catherine to take and they began gathering their gifts and Lindsey's. They soon left the break room, and began their journey back home to begin their new Christmas traditions together.


End file.
